Community Briefs: National Museum of American Jewish History to Host RBG Exhibit and More

Two Area Teens among 26 Bronfman Fellows

The Bronfman Fellowship’s 33rd group of intellectually curious North American 11th-graders includes two Philadelphia-area teens.

The 26 fellows chosen from more than 230 applicants will participate in a five-week program of study and travel in Israel, followed by a year of programming centered around pluralism, social responsibility and Jewish texts. They also will interact with Israeli peers chosen through a parallel selection process.

One of the local teens is Ross Armon, a member of Congregation Adath Jeshurun and a junior at Abington Senior High School. He is the sports editor of his school’s newspaper, a setter on the varsity volleyball team, the founder of Abington High School’s Jewish Student Union and a member of the Future Business Leaders of America club.

The other is Samantha Deutsch of Wyndmoor, who is a junior at Germantown Friends School and a member of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel. At school, she leads the Jewish Affinity Club, is a student council grade representative and a member of the Model United Nations club. She is also a Penn Young Scholar and takes courses at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Ruth Bader Ginsburg 2016 portrait.jpg by Supreme Court of the United States licensed under public domain)

RBG Exhibit Planned at NMAJH

The exhibit is based on The New York Times book and created in partnership with its authors, Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik. It will take a look at the life of the Supreme Court justice and her roles as a student, life partner, mother, lawyer, judge, women’s rights pioneer and pop culture icon.

The exhibition is narrated via Ginsburg’s writings, opinions and interviews. There also will be an exploration of Notorious RBG memes, fan art and parody — from a cartoon action figure named Wrath Hover Ginsbot to renderings of Ginsburg’s likeness on T-shirts, nail decals and tattoos.

“Justice Ginsburg’s life and career are an essential reminder that the freedoms promised here in Philadelphia are the right of every person in the country,” said Josh Perelman, the museum’s chief curator and director of exhibitions and interpretation.

The exhibit will be on display from Oct. 4 through Jan. 12, 2020.

Three High School Seniors Awarded 100K in Total for Higher Education

Avoda, which was originally formed in 1928 to financially assist young Jewish men in Atlantic County, New Jersey, pursue higher education, named three winners of its 2019 awards, which total $100,000.

The organization, which has since increased eligibility to women and students in Cape May County, announced the winners at an awards dinner on June 5.

The primary award winner is Estelle Richardson of Ocean City High School, who will attend Johns Hopkins University and major in chemistry.

The secondary winners are Sara Strenger of Mainland Regional High School, who will attend the University of Washington and study computer science, and Emily Locke of Atlantic City High School, who will major in animal science in Delaware Valley University.

Philadelphia One of Four US Cities Hosting Maccabi FunRun

Twenty-five Maccabi FunRuns — billed as the largest, international Jewish sports, community and charity day — are slated for June 23 around the world, including in Philadelphia.

The local event starts at 9 a.m. at Schuylkill River Park (300 S. 25th St.) and includes both a 5K and 1K race/walk.

Local Rabbi Publishes Nonfiction Book

Rabbi Maurice Harris, the associate director for thriving communities and an Israel affairs specialist at Reconstructing Judaism in Wyncote, recently published the nonfiction book The Forgotten Sage: Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and the Birth of Judaism as We Know It.

The book details the life and impact of Joshua ben Hananiah, a “poor and ugly nail-maker” who lived in the era after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.

“Through his humanity, humility and occasional audacity, Joshua helped set Judaism on its course towards becoming the decentralized, multi-opinionated, exile-surviving, other-religion-respecting, pragmatic-yet-altruistic, wounded-yet-hopeful religion that it is at its best,” according to the press materials.

Andy Gotlieb was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and has a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the University of South Florida. He has worked for the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Tampa Tribune and the Philadelphia Business Journal and also spent a decade in public relations. He has been the managing editor of the Jewish Exponent since March 2016.